Sable, and Pacing Myself

Sometimes the goal is to have no goal at all

It took me about three hours to understand Sable. I play a lot of indie games. Most of the time, I’m certain of what I’m in for. Not to say that indie games are predictable — they aren’t — but I know myself, and my tastes, and what I want out of a game. Typically, indie games offer me something that does not exist in other markets, in other mediums — poetic self-exploration, small kindnesses, quiet moments, tight gameplay. My first few hours with Sable were spent on a different track — they were a unit of measurement for an experience that would take me by surprise, when I was certain I’d already seen everything, certain I knew myself.

Exploring the Desert

Sable is an open world game. Sable is an open world game where you climb things. Sable is an open world game where you climb things and explore and take on little quests. It is cute. It is aesthetically pleasing. It is beautifully scored, exquisitely designed. Sable is also not the experience you might think you are getting, even if you’ve read reviews, even if you believe you know your own tastes by now.

This is a good thing.